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Yes, the weight matters to your fertility!

Posted By: Dr Batra’s™, 10 months 1 week ago

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Overweight and trying to conceive?

Well, this is the storyline of an American Comedy Series ‘This Is Us’ - a character named “Kate Pearson” who is 38 and ‘obese’, experienced a miscarriage last season. On this year’s premiere, a fertility specialist told Kate “At your weight, the chances for a successful pregnancy are very slim, even with IVF.” After listening to this, she felt down in the dumps.

It’s natural to feel that way.

Struggling to get pregnant can be devastating and finding out that your weight is the ‘culprit’ can further add more confusion and frustration.

If you are planning to conceive and worried about weight issues, this blog is for you. There are a few things you need to know before you plan for a baby.

Your weight – whether too high or too low – can affect your ability to get pregnant. A study reported that women with a body mass index (BMI) of over 40, compared to the normal BMI of 18.5 to 24.9, were 35 percent less likely to become pregnant.

The good news is that if you keep your weight under control, you can increase your chances of getting pregnant.

According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), more than 70 percent of women who have weight-related infertility could get pregnant without fertility treatments if they bring their weight to a healthier level.

At the same time, it’s important to understand that your weight issues could be related to hormonal disorders or imbalances. Therefore, just losing weight or adding extra numbers on your weighing scale may not resolve your fertility issues. You may need doctors’ help to correct the root cause.

Weight issues and female infertility

When you’re not menstruating, you stop ovulation which results in preventable infertility likely to occur in women who are anorexic, professional athletes, or morbidly obese.

Being underweight (BMI under 18.5) can reduce a woman's fertility by causing hormone imbalances that affect ovulation and the chance of getting pregnant. Compared to women in the healthy weight range, underweight women are more likely to take more than a year to get pregnant.

Sometimes, a hormonal imbalance leads to weight issues. If ignored, may cause difficulty in losing weight and also result in other factors that may prevent you from getting pregnant.

Chart to self-analyze your BMI (Body mass index)

BODY MASS INDEX

CATEGORY

Below 18.5

Underweight

18.5 to 24.9

Healthy

Above 25 and below 30

Overweight

Above 30 and below 35

Obese

Between 35 to 40

Severely Obese

Weight issues and male infertility

It’s not just females who are pray to infertility; Men also suffer from fertility issues when overweight and underweight. A research shows, men who were overweight were almost twice as likely to have low sperm counts (9.52 percent, as compared to 5.32 percent), and men who were obese were almost three times as likely to have low sperm count (13.28 percent.)

PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is one of the common causes of female infertility. It is one of the reasons behind gaining and subsequently losing weight eventually leading to fertility issues. Thyroid disorders also cause problems with weight resulting in infertility in women.

In men, excess estrogen, low testosterone, and thyroid imbalances can lead to male infertility and unexplained weight gain.

Therefore, it is recommended not to self-diagnose and “just go lose the weight” without any testing. Be sure your basic hormone levels are checked, and you get timely treatment for infertility.

Homeopathy to the rescue:

Well, the most common solution conventionally suggested to the couples is IVF.

Many a time, some manageable cases are referred for IVF when simple counseling and motivation along with homeopathy would be a better option.

Ashwini, diagnosed with PCOS was struggling to conceive and had weight issues. Homeopathy along with diet and exercise helped her manage weight and reduce hormonal imbalance leading to greater chances of getting pregnant.

Homeopathy can be extremely effective in treating infertility in women and men. It takes the holistic, multi-factorial approach to find out the root cause of infertility and treat it. A clinical study conducted in India and reported on clinmedjournals.org has concluded that homeopathy effectively manages female infertility and can help couples with infertility problems conceive naturally.

Homeopathic medications also aid in weight loss by improving the metabolism of your body, as also in treating the underlying cause of weight-related problems if any, that too without causing any side-effect.

So, what are you waiting for? Isn’t it time to check the weight and prepare your body for a healthy pregnancy?